Brazil 07'

When i describe my experience in Brazil i find myself saying the word "amazing" over and over again because everything was truly amazing! My team, the ministry, food, people, culture, and landscape was like nothing i've experienced before. I'll try to break it down but understand that words cannot even begin to explain the AMAZING things that happened.

The Team:
Most of my team was from Oakdale where Pastor Andrew Huson, the trip leader lives and pastors. We had about 14 people on the team and each individual did their part to serve and be open to whatever God wanted to do during our time there. We worked with Pastor Rodney Huson and his wife Corral during our time in Brazil. They have been missionaries to Brazil for quite some time along with most of the Huson lineage. Our team clicked right off the bat and we were able to have effective ministry because we were united together as well as with the father.
Ministry:
Ministry ran through our veins for 12 days, everything you could think of; church services, youth convention services, street outreach, school service, church building projects we did it all. We had a great human video we did at least once at every church we visited, we also had a 4 part skit we did for our youth convention services. Each church service was full of the power and conviction of Christ, Pastor Andrew did an amazing job in his obedience to the word the God gave him for the people of Brazil, even though we heard the same message each night, it carried fresh annointing and power each night, i think i got saved at least 7 times...haha. We also did a worship song here and there if churches wanted,with Tommy on guitar, Tina singing, and me on drums, "Shout to the Lord" proved to be a current hit in most towns. Spending time at a beautiful school that a missionary started was so great. Escuela Anntoinette Johnson in Vargina was full of kids who loved and understood Christ's love, it was such a blessing just to play soccer, jump rope, and run around with the children. We also got the privelage of working on a church building project for two days while in Vargina. During that time we helped make, pour, and shovel concrete, move a large pile of dirt, and clean up the construction site itself. After completion the new church will seat up to 1,500 people and should be finished by November 08'. While in Rio de Janeiro we held an evening service at a park, we were able to set up the PA system and preach the word openly with the park and streets full of people. During our time in Brazil we saw a little more than 70 people come to Christ for the first time and many filled with the Holy Spirit. We greeted, smiled, and prayed for hundreds and we know that God fulfilled His work in each one.

Food:
For the first few days it seemed like all we did was eat! Brazilian food is great and they wanted us to take EVERY opportunity to eat it! You could find meat, rice, and beans at every meal no matter what and thats just the bare minimum! They also made us a few different kinds of spaghetti and made sure we had some mashed potatoes...interesting combo i know. Brazil officially has the BEST SODA EVER it tastes great and is made from a special berry only found in Brazil its called Guarana. We had our fill of Guarana for sure, every meal we would down at least 6 liters of this stuff as a team. Too bad they don't sell it in the states.Brazillian coffee is also by far the best i've had. puts Starbucks to shame!! If your ever in Brazil you have to visit what they call a Chuhascaria. Its a very nice restaurant where about 4 waiters circle your table for about an hour offering different kinds of meat. The meat is cut right in front of you and is the best ever. I had about 6 different types of meat that night including Ram which tasted alot like New York steak,,,mmm. I also had caviar (spellings probably off) as well as sushi for the first time. After all the meat guys stopped circling us, we had desert... about 3 plates of desert!! The Brazilians love to eat, if it was a sport they'd win every game.

People/Culture:
Love the people. So hospitable and kind it felt like home everywhere we went. They love soccer and if your favorite team differs from theirs, prepare for battle...haha Like i said they love to eat...no complaining here. Also something i thought was interesting is that everyone looks a lot younger than what they are. We kept on getting surprised at the ages of some of the people we met...its something in the water. I can't deny it, the woman of Brazil are truly beautiful, not a lot of make up or expensive clothes...just beautiful. I've learned while being in Brazil that it is illegal to have your elbow out the window while in the car, no matter your weight men wear speedos at the beach, and that apparently i resemble Trey from Highschool Musical and my all-time favorite... Harry Potter.

Terrain, Weather, Attractions Ect.:
The beaches were gorgeous, the water warm, and the weather just right. It was actually winter while we were there but you would never guess. The jungle was pretty jungly lol we never did find the anacondas though...we did see a bunch of monkeys though. All kinds of tourist attractions mainly in Rio de Janeiro. We visited Christ the Redeemer which gave us a beautiful view overlooking the city. The last morning we were in Rio a few of us got up at like 6:30 and went swimming in the Atlantic, in the rain, watching the sun come up as the tide came in..one of the coolest experiences i've ever had. I'll be back in Rio someday, somehow...HONEYMOON BABY!!

I had the time of my life in Brazil, intense ministry and intense play time. It was the perfect balance of both and it made for an incredible trip!